


In All The Ways That Matter

by sunsxleil



Series: Merry Christmas, I Love You [17]
Category: Carol (2015)
Genre: Christmas Fluff, Christmas Morning, F/F, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-20
Updated: 2020-12-20
Packaged: 2021-03-10 21:41:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,200
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28194132
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunsxleil/pseuds/sunsxleil
Summary: It's Christmas morning one year later, and Carol is lucky Rindy's here to celebrate it with them. Along with Rindy's gift from her Santa Claus(es), there are a few other gifts under the Christmas tree, with one small, special one from Carol, to Therese.
Relationships: Carol Aird/Therese Belivet
Series: Merry Christmas, I Love You [17]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2035672
Comments: 7
Kudos: 38





	In All The Ways That Matter

**Author's Note:**

> Here's another one! Prompt from a little Google search where [_this_ list](https://otp-prompts-for-you.tumblr.com/post/180276954927/christmas-prompts) popped up. Hope you guys like it!

“Mommy! Mommy!” Carol grunts. While she does not yet want to peel herself away from the warm body in her arms, she lifts her head enough to see her little girl standing in their doorway, jumping up and down. “It’s Christmas morning!”

Beneath her, Carol feels Therese stirring. “It is, Sweet Pea.” Under the blanket, Carol lets her hand stroke Therese’s side, and feels Therese smile. “Merry Christmas.”

Rindy, bless her soul, runs off now to the living room to go look for Santa’s gift to her this year. It’s been a tough year, and Carol thinks it an early Christmas present that Harge allowed Rindy to have her Christmas with them at all, and unsupervised. Of course, his parents had nearly thrown him out of the house for thinking it let alone speaking it into existence, but Rindy preferred it as well, so they were really none the wiser.

Therese pushes her head up with a shoulder, and oh fuck, Carol needs no Santa to bring her present this year.

“Merry Christmas.” Therese says, and Carol kisses her. Therese tastes like morning breath and drool, but Carol doesn’t mind. If anything, it reminds her this is all real.

“Merry Christmas, darling.” Carol cups Therese’s ass and pats it, before sliding out from under the sheet and getting up and off the bed in one smooth move. “We better follow into the living room if we don’t want her to start opening _all_ the presents.”

Therese laughs. When Carol looks back at her, it’s like they’re back in Waterloo. Therese looks brighter, happier than ever, sheets held up to her chest with her head held up on an arm, hair mussed, blissful. Except they hadn’t made love last night (and they couldn’t, really, but some nights it was really enough just to hold to Therese and nuzzle noses) and Therese is in her nightgown, and Carol knows for a fact that smile is from the same reason Carol revels in kissing Therese despite morning breath and drool.

This is real. And no one can take this from them, not right now.

Carol opens their wardrobe and takes out one robe for herself, and another which she throws at Therese. Therese slips out of bed with the robe in hand, and as they’ve both been accustomed to do, Carol ties Therese’s robe for her. Carol’s hand lingers on Therese’s waist, and for a moment, all they do is stare at each other.

Therese plays with Carol’s fingers, and Carol can’t really explain it, but it sends a fluttering feeling in her chest.

“Mommy! Look what Santa gave me!”

“We better get going then, shouldn’t we?” Carol says. She slips her hand around Therese’s back, and Therese’s own arm slips behind Carol. Therese leans her head on Carol’s shoulder, and Carol leans her head back.

“We should.”

They pad out of their bedroom and into the living room, the gifts from under the tree already scattered on the living room floor. Rindy’s in the middle of ripping apart the nice wrapping _Santa_ had done on her gift, and well, what else is to be expected from an excited five-year-old? Carol laughs, and Rindy looks up at them, getting up from her present and touring around the others.

“Let’s see to whom the other presents are, Sweet Pea.” Carol untangles herself from Therese, walking over to Rindy.

“This one’s for you, Mommy!” Rindy jumps up, holding a soft looking present wrapped in green. Carol’s favorite color. “It’s from Aunt Therese!”

Carol looks at Therese and exchanges a smile with her. Carol, despite herself, feels a small blush on her cheeks. She takes the gift from Rindy’s hands and, with a deep breath, says “what about that small gift over there?”

“It’s from you, Mommy!” Rindy says. “To Aunt Therese!”

“Aw,” Therese says as Rindy happily brings it to her. “Why thank you, Rindy.” Therese crouches down to Rindy’s level, and, Carol thinks, she could get used to seeing this every day. “What a good gift giver you are.”

It makes Rindy giggle, and she runs back to unwrapping her present from Santa. A moment later, though, Rindy looks up at Carol and Therese, and says, “Why aren’t you unwrapping your presents yet?”

Because there was a risk it might not be safe for a five-year-old’s eyes? Carol looks over at Therese, who just smiles, dimples and all, and Carol takes that as a go. Carol nods back at Therese, with a wink. “Alright then. Time to unwrap our presents on Christmas morning.”

Carol is careful with the wrapping, knowing how meticulous Therese can be with gift wrapping. In general, not quite, but when it’s for Rindy, and Carol guesses it would be the same for her too, Therese minds every fold and every piece of tape. Carol peels the tape off the wrapping carefully, and peels the wrapping off before unveiling her gift from Therese.

It’s a pantsuit, in the perfect emerald green shade.

Carol gasps. “Oh, Therese.”

Therese smiles. “You wanted a green one.” Carol smiles back, then glances down at her present to Therese.

Carol takes a deep breath. “Open yours.”

“Mommy, Mommy! What did Aunt Therese give you?”

While Carol kept Rindy occupied, Therese unwrapped her present. It’s small, a box, almost suspicious in what it could possibly hold with it fitting snug in the palm of her hand. Therese unwraps it to find a velvet box, and she tries to keep her smile down as she wonders if Carol got her earrings.

There had been a time, months ago, when they had been walking around the mall and Therese had spotted a neat pair of earrings. Perhaps Carol bought them behind her back.

Therese removes the lid to—a note.

> _Tragic that I can’t ask for your surname nor you for mine,_
> 
> _but in all the ways that matter, will you be forever mine?_

Carol knows if she can get Rindy distracted enough, Rindy won’t end up asking Therese what’s in the present. So, she makes a show of seeing how well the pantsuit fit, with one stolen glance at Therese.

Therese’s lips are in a silent gasp, and the smile in her eyes are glossed over with tears.

Carol smiles at her, really smiles at her, and when Rindy runs to the kitchen for some cookies, Carol takes the opportunity to walk towards Therese. Maybe they could have a small ceremony somewhere, just the two of them and some friends, just a way to make it official, even if they won’t get to sign any documents or whatever.

“Yes.” Therese says. Carol holds Therese’s hands in hers, and reaches beneath the note in the box for the ring. “A thousand times yes.” Carol slips the ring on Therese’s finger, and they’re both on the verge of tears. It’s one thing to sense that the rest of their lives would be together, and it’s another to say it for certain.

“I’m glad to hear it.” Before Rindy can call them into the kitchen, Carol steals a kiss from Therese’s lips, and marvels at how good it feels to have Therese’s hand in hers while her lover wears her ring.

**Author's Note:**

> The prompt was, basically: proposal on Christmas morning with a small box containing a note and an engagement ring.
> 
> The moment I saw that prompt, I knew it was the one I wanted to do. How much cuter can it get?
> 
> Anyway, all mistakes are mine, and I don't own the characters—Patricia Highsmith does. Hope you guys enjoyed that, and happy Carolmas! 5 days to go!


End file.
